Press Pass® Basketball Introduces Collectors to the 2004 Rookie Prospects

July 6, 2004 Charlotte, N.C. - This year's draft class is filled with talented rookies that are ready to make an immediate impact on the pro hardwood. Press Pass, the draft pick authority, is the place to find the first autographs and game-used memorabilia cards of these exciting new players.

Press Pass 2004 Basketball boasts five levels of autograph cards featuring dozens of players including 12 of the 13 "lottery picks." Signers include UConn teammates Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon, Josh Childress (Stanford), Devin Harris (Wisconsin), Luol Deng (Duke), Luke Jackson (Oregon), Andre Iguodala (Arizona), and high school phenoms Shaun Livingston, Sebastian Telfair, Robert Swift, and JR Smith. The base autograph level features the player's collegiate logo (college), state and city (high school), or world globe (international) in bronze; the silver level is numbered to 200 and features the player's uniform number; the gold level is numbered to 100 and features a hard court "x's and o's" pattern; and the blue level is numbered to 50 and features a second player image. Popular Power Pick Autographs showcase signatures of select standout players in the draft and are sequentially numbered to 250. In addition to autographs of the new rookie prospects, collectors will find redemption cards for autograph cards of 2003 rookie phenom, Carmelo Anthony. Overall autograph odds are 1:6 hobby packs.

In addition to autographs, Press Pass 2004 Basketball features the first game-used memorabilia cards produced of top rookie prospects. The game-used memorabilia program consists of jersey cards and shoe cards, each sequentially numbered to three levels of rarity. The insert rate for the game-used memorabilia cards is 1:72 hobby packs.
"The 2004 draft class features a talented mix of college, high school, and international players that are poised to become stars at the next level," explained Tom Farrell, Director of Marketing for Press Pass, a division of RC2 (NASDAQ: RCRC). "Press Pass 2004 Basketball provides collectors with the opportunity to obtain the first autographs and game-used memorabilia cards from these rookies. While each player will likely have dozens of different autograph and memorabilia cards in pro uniforms in the years to come, Press Pass cards featuring the player's college, high school, or international uniform will be quite rare and provide a unique collectible in the long run."

Press Pass 2004 Basketball features a 40-card base set (including 7 short prints), seven levels of inserts and is slated to release on July 28, 2004.

RC2 (www.rc2corp.com) is a leading designer, producer and marketer of high quality, innovative collectibles and toys targeted at adult collectors and children, as measured by sales and brand recognition. The Company's diverse product offerings include: agricultural, construction and outdoor sports vehicle replicas; automotive, high performance and racing vehicle replicas; traditional children's toys; sports trading cards, apparel and souvenirs; and collectible figures. These products are sold under the Company's market-focused brand names, including Racing Champions®, Ertl®, Ertl Collectibles®, Learning Curve®, American Muscle™, AMT®, W. Britain®, Press Pass®, Eden®, Feltkids®, JoyRide® and JoyRide Studios®. The Company supports its brands and enhances the authenticity of its products by linking them with highly recognized licensed properties from John Deere, Harley-Davidson, HIT Entertainment, Lamaze, Case New Holland, Polaris, Honda, Caterpillar, Ford, GM, DaimlerChrysler, NASCAR, NHRA, Texaco, Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, DIC Entertainment, Discovery Channel and Microsoft, among others. The Company's products are marketed through multiple channels of distribution, including chain retailers, specialty and hobby wholesalers and retailers, OEM dealers, corporate accounts for promotional purposes and direct to consumers. The Company sells through more than 25,000 retail outlets located in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia Pacific.